


7 Days of Sormik Week

by Maixion



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: And probably OOC, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance, these are all really cheesy I'm so sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-07 14:20:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7718116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maixion/pseuds/Maixion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A one-shot fic for each Sormik Week prompt (hopefully).</p>
<p>(Update: Or just 3. That’s fine too I guess :/)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Water

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so note before reading that I had less than a week prior to today to actually work on all of these chapters, so if they seem rushed or all over the place I apologize. Please leave kudos or comment to let me know what you think, and thanks so much for reading! Happy 1st Sormik Week everybody!!! ^^

Sorey watched as, from a distance, Mikleo traced his finger across the length of the pond, drawing a stream of water around his index finger. The delicate stream trailed and fluttered like a ribbon through the air. He wound the liquid into a condensed bubble, gently holding it steady in the air. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on keeping the fragile shape together, steadying out his breathing, spinning the bubble around with flowing hand movements. His brows furrowed, his eyelids clenched together tightly, shoulders tense.

Curiosity guiding him, Sorey found himself slowly approaching Mikleo, trying not to draw too much attention to himself. However, the sound of his own quiet footsteps rustling in the grass was all it took for the water seraph’s concentration to waver, in turn, causing the suspended sphere of water to disperse into tiny droplets and return to the pond like rainfall.

Mikleo heaved out an annoyed sigh. “Sorey,” he began. “I was trying to focus,”

“You’re upset.” Sorey didn’t hesitate to speak of Mikleo’s feelings. Mikleo returned his attention to the pond without another word, where he began to spin tiny whirlpools in the surface.

He lowered himself to the ground to Mikleo’s right side, choosing to stay silent. His eyes wandered to Mikleo’s crafts, swirling, winding water paths that added a surreal yet intricate sort of beauty to the pond blessed by Elysia.

It was odd for Mikleo to hold back when something really, truly bothered him. Whenever they needed to air any of their grievances, the other was always there to listen and be a shoulder to lean on. But seeing Mikleo so secluded, so hidden, pushing Sorey away like he was, it made the brunette worry for the sake of his childhood friend. Something was really eating away at him, and he wasn't speaking a word.

Beside him, he saw Mikleo’s hands fall to his sides, a tired laugh passing by his lips. “Am I really that transparent?”

“Well, you’re out here by yourself, you’ve been staring at the pond for at least an hour now, and your nose keeps scrunching up like it does when you’re upset about something.” Sorey folded his arms and stared at Mikleo knowingly. He stayed silent.

“Please tell me what’s wrong, Mikleo.” Sorey’s gloved hand came to rest on his shoulder, watching as his bangs parted to reveal his troubled amethyst gaze.

Mikleo’s head lowered again, much to Sorey’s disappointment. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Come on, Mikleo. You don’t have to hide what you want to say. If it’s something serious, I want you to tell me.”

“You would think it’s silly of me.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Of course I don’t,” Sorey struggled to keep his voice level, worry and impatience gradually boiling deeper inside him. “You won’t tell me what’s been bothering you!”

Mikleo made a face so pained that Sorey could feel his own chest tighten with immediate regret. “N-no, it’s…” A sad sigh escaped from Mikleo’s lips. “I’m sorry, I’m just-”

“No, don’t apologize.” Sorey brought his hands down to rest on his lap, head turning to the pond again. He made his voice quiet and controlled. “I shouldn’t have pestered you so much into talking about it. I understand it makes you uncomfortable, so I won’t force you. I just want to be here for you.”

He could sense Mikleo’s gaze on him. The sudden sensation of Mikleo’s hand resting gently on his own hand caused him to gasp from surprise. His head snapped around to see his friend, but Mikleo couldn’t look him in the eyes.

“Sorey… You wouldn’t leave all of us in Elysia for the land below, right?”

Sorey gave Mikleo a wide eyed stare in return. He couldn’t find it in himself to even speak at first.

“Why,” Sorey said weakly, finally finding his voice, “Where did this come from, Mikleo? Why would you worry I would do something like that? Of course I wouldn’t!”

Mikleo seemed almost shocked by his reaction. Sorey himself felt sad at the fact that he was surprised. He loved Mikleo, he loved everyone in Elysia. The thought of leaving them by choice was baffling.

“So that’s it, huh?” A small smile appeared on Mikleo’s face. But Sorey wasn’t convinced. His eyes still showed the hurt he felt was something deeper than his short answer could fix. Sorey wished so badly for Mikleo to just open up to him, to let him know the true extent of his worries and he could reassure him of how much he cared for him. He thought, if he could make him smile, lift his spirits, at least for now, maybe he wouldn’t worry so much.

He stood up without hesitation and held his hand out to Mikleo. The water seraph stared back with a puzzled expression.

“Stand up,” Sorey asked of him. Mikleo slowly placed his hand in Sorey’s and allowed himself to be pulled up. He watched, his face growing more and more confused, as Sorey linked his own fingers with the other’s, pulled him closer by the waist, and began to sway gently with him.

Mikleo scoffed, “Dancing? Sometimes I don’t get you.” His stubborn comment and turn of the cheek served to cover up the light dusting of pink coloring his face.

“Really?” Sorey questioned him. “Because I’d think if you really thought it was as silly as you act like it is, you would have wanted to stop by now.”

“Hey, you were the one who started this. I’m just doing it because you wanted to.” Sorey’s chest lightened with the laughter threatening to burst from his throat.

Sorey continued to spin the both of them around in slow circles, enjoying the way that Mikleo’s face burned redder when Sorey pulled him closer, or the way that he shyly leaned his head into Sorey’s shoulder, or the way his silver hair tickled his neck. The feeling of Mikleo’s cold fingers intertwined with his own and the warmth of his body pressed so close were such comforting sensations, and Sorey didn’t want it to end.

Mikleo’s cool breath ghosted over his neck. “This is actually kind of nice.”

A mischievous grin broke out over the brunette’s face. “Is it really? I thought you were only doing this because of me.”

“Shut up.”

The air around them was filled with laughter as the two twirled around together and their dancing became more and more exaggerated, arms swinging together. Seeing the bright and mirthful grin light up Mikleo’s beautiful visage made his heart swell. When Mikleo “accidentally” steps on his toes, though, Sorey is prepared with a little petty and playful revenge of his own.

“Oh no, Mikleo, I’m feeling a little lightheaded,” Sorey sang out teasingly, leaning dangerously towards the edge of the pond.

A look of pure terror flashed over Mikleo’s countenance. “Don’t you dare, Sorey!”

Of course, Sorey only meant it as a joke, but he soon felt the pressure of gravity pulling both him and Mikleo down, and it was too late to stop it. Together, they fell into the embrace of the bone chilling water as ungracefully as one possibly could. When they surfaced, Mikleo let out a shriek.

“Sorey, you ass!” He scolded the younger boy, splashing him playfully with a wave of water. Sorey chuckled and splashed the seraph back, watching as he combed his sopping wet bangs behind his ear, pure fire glowing in his eyes and a vengeful smirk etched on his lips. They continued their assault towards one another until their breathing was heavy and their bodies freezing from the chill of the pond. By then, the air began to chill with the first signs of approaching night.

The both of them decided, then, that it was the most appropriate time to go inside and change into drier clothing. Sorey absolutely insisted that Mikleo stay at his house for a little while, “At least until you’ve dried off and warmed up enough,” he begged his friend.

This is how they ended up curled together in a large thick blanket, cozy and warm in front of the soft glow of the fireplace, and their cherished copy of the Celestial Record propped open between them.

“You sure you’re alright?” Sorey brushed a lock of Mikleo’s still damp bangs to the side, letting his hand linger on Mikleo’s cheek.

Mikleo averted his eyes, but allowed the simple caress without protest. “Sorey, don’t worry. It was selfish of me to ask that.”

“You weren’t being selfish,” Sorey assured him. “I understand you’re worried about me leaving. But I want you to know that I love and cherish everyone in Elysia, especially you. I mean, sure, someday I want to go out and see the world for myself, and I want to see all the ruins we’ve read about too.” He picked up the tome in one hand and wove it in front of his face. “But just because I leave Elysia and visit places in the world, that doesn’t mean I’ll be leaving you all forever. You mean too much for me to just leave you behind to never see you again.”

Mikleo stared at him in silence. He didn’t answer with words. Instead, he slid up closer to Sorey’s side, taking in his warmth, and he continued reading and discussing their earlier topic of the history of old rulers and their ancient kingdoms.

\---

The sun had set long before Mikleo decided to return to the quiet solitude of his own home, body weary and eyelids heavy. He set his day clothing out to dry and flopped down on his bed. The thoughts that plagued him from that afternoon still running through his head, he buried his face into his pillow, eyes closed. 

How was he supposed to be okay with this? With any of this? How was he not supposed to be upset about the things that Gramps told him? Would Sorey really just leave him behind to venture out onto the world below? To live with humans? Humans who had so many mysterious intents, humans who were sly and selfish? Sorey had never met another human before. He was a pure, selfless, loving individual. He would get hurt. He wouldn’t want to live with such terrible people, would he?

Maybe Gramps was wrong. Maybe he would love it so much in Elysia that he would never want to leave.

But he knew deep down that this wasn’t true. Sorey loved adventure. Of course he would want to see the world someday. Mikleo always wanted to do that too. But his best friend, leaving everything and everyone he knew behind in favor of a world full of corruption and greed? The thought made Mikleo sick to his stomach.

But he would never want to admit that to him out loud.


	2. Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be aware that this chapter does contain spoilers for the end game. And yeah this was most definitely inspired by the song Anemone no Hana by Fhana.

Adjusting to the new and sudden changes was hard at first. Limbs numb from the long trials of combat, bodies losing the indescribable pressure of malevolence that had never been felt at that magnitude until their fated battle with the Lord of Calamity himself. It had been such a short time ago since his death, since their fight was won, their lives sacrificed…

After Sorey let himself be a vessel to Maotelus…

Everything from that experience just blurred together. It didn't register to Mikleo that when Heldalf, fused with Maotelus, came to his knees, that one split second when fiery pools of jade green met his own determined violet gems, that it would be his last time seeing Sorey. It didn't register to Mikleo that the feeling of his body entering Sorey’s during their final armatization, sharing his space, the feeling of their heart hammering with the thrill of battle, that final, shaky breath before he fired him away, would be his last moment shared with him. 

If Mikleo had one single anchor holding him down in the aftermath of the mess of events that had only just happened mere minutes ago, it was the solace he found in the other seraphim. His friends that he had come to know throughout his long journey, no, throughout their long journey. One by one, as they had all materialized from bright spheres of energy-filled light, they stood over the cliffs of Camlann, peering as high into the blindingly bright sky as they could, where Sorey’s beacon seemed, from the earth, to reach clear up to the distant stars. Mikleo was the last to materialize. He felt his feet hit the solid earth, but he didn’t feel stable. He only felt hollow. He knew from the second his vision focused on the beam of light that looked to emanate from the earth itself. 

Sorey was gone.

A porcelain hand lay comfortingly on his shoulder. He turned his head to see Lailah’s gentle facial expression, brows drawn in concern, soft eyes and relaxed smile asking for a wordless question of the water seraph. 

He mimicked her smile, and nodded.

\---

A month passed. Mikleo had returned to his old home in Elysia, but it no longer felt like a home. The town was much quieter without him here. 

The news of Gramps’ death hit the entire village hard. Zenrus protected the village, lead by good example, defended and cared for his family. Mikleo knew he had a duty to them. He resided in Gramps’ old home atop the hill, where his domain blessed the very people he loved and the people who cared for him. Now, he would care for them. He would be their guide. He would be their shield.

Nobody mentioned Sorey’s name to Mikleo the first weeks after it happened. Some of the seraphim would give him looks of sympathy in passing, offer the occasional, “If you need to talk, I’m right here,” kind of comment he was beginning to get used to after his return. And sometimes, he would take them up on the offer. It felt good to talk about his feelings to them. They were his family and his closest companions. He would talk, they would listen. He held back tears that had been threatening to spill for a month. They would offer their love and concern and words of wisdom. In these times, they offered him strength.

On days that were harder for him to get by, he sought the same clearing overlooking the wide cliffs of Elysia. From there, he could see Sorey’s light climbing into the fluffy clouds overhead. Pearly tears dribbled into the soft earth under his toes.

One particular day, when he approached the clearing once again, he spotted a small tree seedling, snuggled into its own bed of grass.

\---

Cool, crystal clear water bubbled from the end of Mikleo’s staff and into the earth below, nourishing the tiny growing tree. He stood back to observe his work; droplets of liquid shimmered on its newly grown leaves, the seedling standing up perky and strong. When he first saw the weak little thing, it had been only the size of his pinky. Now, its height reached up to the middle of his calf. 

He had done well, over the course of time, of keeping up his care for the tree. What once started out as an occasional trip up the hill to see Sorey beaming brightly in the distance turned into an every-day ritual. He watered the little plant in the morning, picked out weeds, and trimmed the grass around it to ensure it got enough sunlight. Nobody in the village really questioned this, however.

His staff disappeared in a flash of light as he took one last lingering look at the seedling, new, bushy leaves resembling that familiar green he knew his entire life.

\---

Statues and busts of once important historical figures lined the wall that stood ahead of Mikleo. Stone pillars as tall as dragons towered over his figure, casting massive shadows over the expanse of the ruins he was exploring. Torches that had been lit for centuries and centuries continued to flicker and glow with the same fervor as they had always possessed. Taking the sights in all at once could strike awe in anyone, really.

But Mikleo wasn’t quite as affected as he wanted to be. His family in Elysia told him it would be better for him to go out and enjoy himself in the ruins again like he always used to do. Unfortunately for him, exploring ruins was not the same experience as it once was when he was still around. He came across an older plaque with scripts in the ancient language that absolutely confirmed his own hypothesis that humans would bring valuable offerings to Seraphim during the Era of Asgard in what was present day Pendrago. A triumphant laugh escaped him as he turned around to brag about his win, only to remember that the brunette no longer stood by his side.

Even ruin exploration had lost its original luster.

The sun was almost blinding when he emerged from the dark depths of the Aroundight Forest. He blinked several times to adjust his vision and squinted towards his clearing. Step by step brought him to the edge of the cliff, where Sorey’s light resided, and where he laid his hopes to grow from the earth.

Though instead of seeing green, he saw leaves of shriveled brown.

He had been gone from Elysia too long.

\---

“Why is he trying so hard?” Edna tapped her umbrella and looked to Lailah with a confused countenance as they watched Mikleo tend to the little sapling with such care that she hadn’t seen in so long. “What’s the point of going through all that effort for a dying tree?”

Lailah gazed solemnly at her feet. “I think it’s obvious. Surely you see it by now, Edna?”

Edna’s nose scrunched up. “It’s just so…” she paused, still watching the head of shoulder-length aquamarine hair bent over, almost as if he was in prayer. 

The fire seraph lowered herself onto the soft grass at her feet. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to find the right words. “It’s kinda like... Almost sort of like his own way of coping… In a way…”

“Like he’s putting all his feelings into caring for it.” Edna clarified, sitting down next to Lailah. “He’s persistent, I’ll give him that.”

“I can’t blame him. He lost someone so dear to him. It’s obvious that Mikleo… That he loves Sorey with all his heart. It’s like that tree is a symbol of that love.” Lailah’s eyes widened with shock at the realization, then she covered her mouth with a dainty hand as she giggled. “It’s so romantic!”

“Eww,” Edna fake gagged and hit Lailah playfully on the thigh with the tip of her umbrella.

“Oh Edna,” she ignored the jab and clapped her hands together as another thought occurred to her. “You and Mikleo have a lot in common, don’t you?”

“Even more eww.”

“No, I mean, you two both-”

Edna shushed her before she could finish. “I know.” She paused, toying with her umbrella and looking back at the boy whose smile now glowed with satisfaction at his work. “Meebo is still young, though. I understand his loss is probably harder for him to recover from.” She rose up from the grass, smoothing down her dress. “I guess I should try and help him out. Let him know he’s not alone.”

“Edna…”

“Hey, someone’s got to be the big sister here.”

Lailah pouted. “But I can be a big sister too!”

A smile broke out on the earth seraph’s face. “No, you’re definitely more like a mom.”

“No I’m not!”

The two of them giggled. Edna wove at her one last time before turning and making her way towards the place where Mikleo now sat, looking out towards the beacon of light. Lailah watched as the blonde seraph put her gloved hand comfortingly on his shoulder, sitting down next to him and talking. She smiled at the two together, slowly raised herself up, and headed back towards the entrance to Elysia.

\---

Flowers began to bloom around the thick trunk of the fully grown tree. Mikleo recognized them as the ones that grew outside his house. The name of these escaped him, though. The numerous blossoms glimmered from dew that shone in the early morning sun, their colorful petals with the prettiest blue and white and pink hues. 

He sat at the base of the sturdy oak, running his fingers through the thick grass below him. His fingers wandered around the tree’s trunk, where they brushed the petals of another of these flowers. He looked down at a delicate blossom toned a brilliant deep red color. He cupped the flower gently in his hand, careful not to harm it.

He looked out towards the rising sun, slowly climbing to the height of the day. He hurriedly started climbing up the tree, going higher and higher up until he could see through the dense leaves. He let himself watch the beam of hopeful light while he still had the time. He knew he should be returning to the ruins soon. With one last lingering glance, he carefully let himself down to the ground and started away from his hometown once more.

After hundreds of years staring out to that same beacon, he failed to notice how it grew fainter and fainter by the day, flickering occasionally.

\---

“Hey, Mikleo!” he called out to the water seraph who had perched himself on one of the thick branches of their oak tree.

“Oh? And where have you been?” Mikleo grinned down at the visitor below, who beamed with the happiest and most genuine smile he had ever seen. He began scaling the tree clumsily, branch by branch, trying not to harm the object he held securely in his grasp. He plopped down on the same branch next to Mikleo, snuggling his face into the other’s fluffy aquamarine hair.

“Nowhere in particular~,” he sang out, shoving his hand behind his back.

Mikleo huffed, “You’ve always been such a terrible liar.”

A set of bright and beautiful green eyes peered back at him from through his own strands of wavy hair. “Aww, come on, why can’t you let me surprise you with something for once?”

“Maybe I don’t need to be surprised.”

“Mikleoooooo,” he whined, burying his face back into his hair and wrapped his arms around Mikleo’s waist. 

“So what did you want to surprise me with?” Mikleo poked at one of his hands, still clenched shut.

The newly-born seraph next to Mikleo detached himself from his waist (to Mikleo’s disappointment) and uncovered the objects held in his hand. Sticking up from his grip was a bundle of little colorful blossoms that he had picked himself.

He averted his jade green gaze shyly, face hidden by a head of blonde hair. “I thought maybe you would think these were nice.”

“Anemone flowers,” Mikleo answered. “I read about these once. They started growing here more and more as of late.”

Another tanned hand came up and plucked a lone purple flower from the bundle. He brushed a lock of hair out of Mikleo’s face and tucked the little blossom behind his ear.

“It matches your eyes,” Sorey said sweetly, giving Mikleo a tender kiss. “They’re really beautiful.”


	3. Void

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters are going to be out of order from this point on, sorry. This is based off the story that Taccio tells about Sorey and Mikleo as little kids in the Mabinogio Ruins.

“Mikleo, hurry up!” A head of fluffy brown hair bounced ahead, the feathers clipped to his ears fluttering with each eager step. He giggled happily and brightly while dragging the shorter seraph child behind him. He tugged at his hand harder and squeezed it to urge him forward. “Come on, you're falling behind!” Their voices and noisy footsteps echoed through the halls of the great stone ruins they were sprinting through, ancient pillars and towering walls groaning with the weight of age.

“W-wait!” Mikleo cried, stumbling over his own feet. He was growing more and more tired, trying to catch his breath once again. “Sorey!” The younger boy slowed down and came to a stop, turning to face his white-haired friend, a confused pair of jade green eyes meeting his worried violet gaze. Mikleo huffed out a few more tired breaths before continuing. “Are you sure we can be this far in the ruins? What if we get in trouble?”

The concern left the human child’s face at the response, his hand relaxed so he only lightly gripped the other’s fingers. “It's okay Mikleo,” he replied with a reassuring smile. “Gramps said that this part of the ruins is safe, so we can explore all we want to! He just said…” Sorey paused, his face scrunching up and brow furrowing, lowering his voice to a tone that sounded vaguely similar to Gramps, “Just watch where you step, and don't get yourselves into anything dangerous, you hear me?”

Mikleo laughed uncontrollably, clutching his stomach at Sorey’s poor impression. Sorey didn't laugh, didn't try and drag him along just yet, he only smiled and gazed at his friend, who was currently wiping tears from the corners of his eyes. When he gained control over himself again, Sorey still grinned at him.

“Well, Mikleo? You wanna keep exploring now?” Sorey asked.

Mikleo paused. “Okay, we can keep going.” Sorey happily pivoted on his toes and marched forward, both stopping straight in their tracks when the seraph could feel his own hand reach out and clasp tightly onto Sorey’s. “So you don't get lost.” Mikleo explained his impulsive action.

The brown haired boy pouted. “I'm not a baby, Mikleo! Sure you're older, but we're almost the same age!”

“B-but you're a human!” He could feel his cheeks grow warm, trying desperately to defend himself. “You can get hurt and I don't want you to get hurt.”

Sorey still wore that same unconvinced face, but then replied with an enthusiastic, “Okay!” As he turned around and led him further into the ruins again. Sorey wasn't telling him something, Mikleo knew that, but he didn't want to try and argue with Sorey when he now looked so happy and gripped his hand so securely.

\---

The two boys stood together, side by side, staring up at the grand mural looming above them with a great feeling of awe. The mere size alone made the young children feel so small, and almost intimidated. Mikleo didn't sense this from his best friend. In fact, he could almost hear Sorey buzzing with excitement and curiosity. Even Mikleo could feel eagerness bubbling up inside him, and the two looked to each other with wide grins and a knowing gaze that send them practically throwing themselves at the mural ahead of them.

“Sorey! Do you think this might be a picture of a Shepherd? Look at his cool sword!”

“He looks like the Shepherds that Gramps told us stories about! Like the guys that fought the monsters away!”

“I wonder what he was like? Was he nice?”

“Look at his cape! I want to wear that cape too!”

“Is that a seraph next to him?”

“What kind of seraph? Is she a water seraph like you, Mikleo?”

Question upon question sprang up between the two, both being too excited to stop and ponder the answers. Sorey pointed eagerly at what they assumed to be a hellion in the corner of the mural, the image at the tip of his tiny finger glowing a bright luminescent blue from the touch of his hand. The wall shook with heavy tremors that transferred to the stone floor beneath them, threatening to throw Mikleo off his balance. He saw Sorey stumble forward and caught him, his face tucked into Mikleo’s neck.

“Sorey!” Mikleo shrieked. “What did you do?!”

Sorey’s bright eyes went from excited to terrified in a split second. The corners of his eyes glimmered with the beginnings of tears. “I-I don't know! What do we do, Mikl-”

Just then, the grinding sound of stone against stone was heard above, and fragments of the wall began to collapse. Large blocks of stone crashed down around them, Sorey releasing Mikleo from his tight grasp and running in the other direction. Mikleo stumbled backwards, feeling another, weaker tremor beneath his feet before he realized that he was now plummeting into the darkness. He heard Sorey’s voice shout his name, and then silence as he collided hard with the cold wet ground below him. His throbbing head rose slowly from the floor, bangs dripping with water. He opened his eyes and blinked several times before noticing that he could not see a thing. The room he was in was pitch black, uncomfortably chilly, and smelled musty and aged. His clothing was cold and damp from the moisture of the ground below. The worst of all, it was completely silent, save for Mikleo’s heavy breathing.

“Sorey?” He called out weakly, groping the ground as he moved towards a faint light from above, the place where he knew he fell from, the place where his friend was surely waiting above, probably terrified and confused. “Sorey!” He shouted desperately, panic rising in his throat, threatening to choke him. His lip quivered as he fought the increasing urge to cry. Sorey didn't answer. Mikleo was alone. 

He wondered a few moments what Sorey was doing. Was he looking for a way to get him out? Was he crying out for Mikleo too, trying to make sure he was okay and not hurt? Or was he, possibly, heading back to Elysia to get the other seraphim to help?

He knew it was best that a grown-up try and handle the situation, but that thought frightened him the most. He didn't want to be alone. He wanted to know Sorey was there. That he wasn't all alone in a place he didn't know without his best friend for comfort.

He could feel the tears running down his cheeks, and at this point it was too late to stop them. A choked sob left his throat, and he curled up against the wall, face buried in his knees as his body shook with fear and loneliness and sadness. 

Mikleo knew deep down they would both get in deep trouble when they got back to Elysia. Gramps would get really mad at them for doing something so dangerous. He got pretty scary when he was mad.

He considered if there was something he should do to try and get out. He could try and find an object he can use to pull himself out. Maybe he could stack some of the debris from his fall and get out that way. It's also possible that he can find an exit in the room somewhere and try and find a way out from there.

He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting. His back ached from sitting curled up against the wall for so long. His tears had ceased, but the fear still ate away at him. He pondered the last option. ‘Should I?’ He thought. ‘I don't know the way out, but I need to find Sorey.’ He slowly pushed himself up, stretching his legs and giving them time to adjust. He started feeling along the wall next. The room was so dark that he couldn't see the walls straight in front of him. He shook, cautious and jumpy and afraid of tripping over some unseen object. As he edged further along, his hand slipped into a gap just small enough for him to squeeze through. He sighed, the tension in his shoulders loosening as he slipped beyond the gap and into a different space. He continued to grope at the walls of each cavern and room he was in, an odd mixture of both hope and fear flooding into him; hope that soon, he can be reunited with his best friend again and they can return to Elysia without anyone worrying about them, fear that, maybe, he was only getting farther from where he wanted to go. Maybe he was lost. He had no clue where he was going, only that he wanted to escape, he wanted to be back in the light, he wanted to go home.

He heard two noises just then, faintly echoing through the walls. The first: the sound of crumbling stone. His body tensed up once again, breathing becoming heavy. His hands shook when they hit another wall.

The second, the one other noise in the depths of the ruins, one that he could recognize anywhere.

The familiar sound of Sorey’s voice.

“Sorey!” Mikleo shouted, waiting for him to reply.

“Mikleo?!” Sorey’s voice practically squeaked, and he could hear pattering footsteps getting louder and louder. Mikleo’s heart nearly leapt into his throat and he began to run, hands held out protectively in front of him to avoid running into walls. He bounded through hallways and rooms, hearing Sorey shout one more time before they collided, arms wrapping around each other and squeezing as tightly as they possibly could. Mikleo began to sob again, and he could feel his own warm tears wetting the cape Sorey had draped over his shoulders. Sorey began to laugh into Mikleo’s shoulder, feelings of relief and pure joy bubbling out from him. Mikleo felt it too, and he laughed along as well, tears still flowing freely from his eyes. They stood in each other’s arms, Mikleo enjoying the warmth of Sorey’s body like a comforting blanket around him. Mikleo could feel Sorey’s arms loosen, and Mikleo released him almost reluctantly.

“Okay Mikleo, we should get back home. I’ll show you how to get out.” Sorey walks a couple steps forward, then suddenly, he stops in the middle of his tracks.

“Sorey?” Mikleo didn’t hear his friend’s footsteps ahead and looked ahead in confusion. Without warning, he felt Sorey’s hand grasp Mikleo’s tightly and tugged him lightly towards him.

“So you don’t get lost.” Sorey replied in a caring voice.

\---

Here they were again, Sorey guiding Mikleo by the hand, leading him into the almost blinding light of the ruins. Sorey turned around to face him, his manor giving off an overall feeling of warmth, like standing in the sunlight on a cool spring day. His eyes glimmered with those same pools of light. 

“Huh? What’s wrong, Mikleo?” Sorey asked, looking back at the seraph’s odd expression.

Sorey seemed… Slightly different, from Mikleo’s perspective. The boy had always been the same excitable, overly energetic, and enthusiastic human Mikleo had always known him to be, but there was something new showing itself in him. He was much more gentle with his seraph friend now, like he was afraid of breaking him into pieces if he tugged too hard on his arm or talked too loud. He was much more concerned for him, looking back at him, asking if he was okay, looking for scratches or bruises when there was enough light in the room that they could see each other. Lastly, he seemed much more brave than he was. He went out of his way to look for Mikleo, to bring him back out, to make sure he was safe. In fact, Sorey almost reminded him of…

Mikleo looked back at him and realized what it was that was so familiar to him. “Sorey,” he began, “You’re like my Shepherd!”

Sorey’s eyes widened in a rather comical way. “What?! What does that mean?!”

“You saved me!” Mikleo shouted, waving his arms in the air like the answer was right in front of him. “It’s like how the Shepherds in Gramps’ stories saved people from the dark!”

“Really?” Sorey’s eyes glimmered once again in wonder.

“And you went looking for me too. I felt really lonely and scared before you came, but you went and got me anyway even if it was hard, and…” Mikleo didn’t even notice the warmth return to his face and the first few droplets trickling down his cheeks. “And I was scared that I couldn’t get out and I couldn’t see or hear you or-”

“Mikleo, are you…?” Sorey reached his hand out for Mikleo’s shoulders with a concerned look. “Mikleo, please don’t cry! It’s okay!” He was almost panicking at this point. His eyes flicked around the room momentarily, and then turned back to him. “Wait, Mikleo! I’ll cheer you up! Let’s play a game!” He ran to the other side of the room, confusion flashing over Mikleo’s visage briefly as he stood back looking at him. “Let’s play hide and seek! We can only hide in this room, so nobody gets lost. So close your eyes.” Sorey waved his hand at Mikleo to get him to turn around. Mikleo could only think about how silly the situation was, but he did it anyway. He covered his eyes and began to count, trying to muffle his sniffling and hiccups into his sleeve. When he hit ten, he slowly got up and scanned the room. He wound around pillars and walls, walking around a bend in the room and noticing a lock of messy brown hair sticking up awkwardly from behind a wall of debris. “Sorey, you are really bad at hide and seek,” Mikleo sighed as the head of brown hair ducked down lower. Mikleo approached his friend’s hiding spot, looking around the corner the split second he felt hands grip around his waist and pull him down to the ground, fingers dancing along his sides and under his arms before he realized he was being tickled. Mikleo giggled and tried hard to escape from Sorey’s attacks, turning around to poke at the younger boy’s ribs playfully. Sorey’s body jolted back as he managed to gain distance from Mikleo and run out from behind the wall. 

“Bet you can’t catch me!” Sorey chimed teasingly, sticking his tongue out at Mikleo. He sprung up from behind the wall and sprinted towards the human, fire dancing in the light of Sorey’s eyes as he turned sharply and ran from Mikleo.

“Not fair!” Mikleo argued back, right on Sorey’s heel. Sorey may have been faster than Mikleo, but he was much clumsier. He tripped and stumbled as Mikleo gained on him. He grabbed at Sorey’s waist, earning a squeal from him as he slipped from his grasp and ran around a corner. Mikleo followed straight behind him and turned the corner before tripping over something, or as it seemed, someone.

His head spun as he pried himself off of Sorey’s body, about to stutter out an apology for falling on him when he looked up and noticed a sea of familiar faces. All the seraphim of Elysia had their eyes locked on the two of them, concern plastered on their visages.

The two were lead back to their hometown, stomachs churning over the thought of what was to come. All Gramps needed to say was, “We’re going back home, we need to talk,” and that’s all it took for their legs to turn to jelly and their heads to mush. They were in deep trouble, they knew. And yet, as the two best friends stepped out into the light of the setting sun, as they felt the light breeze tousle their hair, as they felt their hands link together once again, their eyes meeting each other’s, all they could do is smile.


End file.
